


Evergreen

by CrownShyness



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Being Lost, Confessions, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mild Angst, Oblivious, Post-Canon, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-19 04:00:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20650850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrownShyness/pseuds/CrownShyness
Summary: Caspar goes off course and gets himself and Linhardt lost in the mountains of Faerghus.





	Evergreen

“Caspar, you’ve made more than enough moronic decisions for one lifetime, but getting us lost in a freezing pine forest just before dusk might be the most moronic thing that you’ve ever done.” Linhardt chided, his arms waving in frustration.

“Why are you blaming me for this? You’re the one who has the map!” Caspar huffed. He tried to cross his arms in defiance, but his heavy coat made it difficult to bend them even slightly.

Linhardt let out a long sigh. The map he held in his gloved hands detailed a path that cut through the frigid mountains of Faerghus, which they had to take on foot because it was unsuitable for horses. They were supposed to be in town by now, warming up with tea and shedding their bulky winter attire. But no, Caspar had been brash again, and now they had no idea where they were. Layers, gloves and hoods could only do so much for them if they were stuck in a snowy mountain forest overnight.

“Maps are useless if you don’t stay on course. And we wouldn’t have lost track of our way if you hadn’t found it necessary to chase down that beast.”

“Beast? It was a baby wyvern! You’re the bookworm; you should know better than me how rare those are!”

“If we didn’t have a path we needed to stay on, following it might have been intriguing. But chasing a rare creature is by no means worth freezing to death over!”

“We’re not gonna freeze to death! I won’t let us!” Caspar’s stubborn face made his cheeks puff out just slightly. With his little nose red from the cold and some tufts of fluffy, ice-blue hair popping out of his hood, Linhardt couldn’t help but notice how cute he looked. Still, he was too bothered by their current circumstances to soften up just yet.

“Willpower alone won’t help in a situation like this. It will be hard to find materials for shelter in all this snow, I used up all my fire magic so you wouldn’t get hypothermia when you fell into that creek earlier, and we’re low on supplies. So what do you suppose we do?”

“I dunno. Maybe if we have to we can hold each other close to amplify our body heat--” Caspar stopped suddenly when he processed what he was saying, and then started backtracking. “I mean, I read about that in a book somewhere!”

Linhardt knew that was a lie; Caspar never read books. He might have been amused by his friend’s flustered expression at any other time, but he still wasn’t feeling soft, so he decided to egg him on.

“This isn’t one of the sappy romance novels that Sylvain used to read, Cas. We won’t be able to exchange body heat if we’re both already frozen.”

Caspar’s whole face turned red. “I didn’t-- I didn’t mean it romantically! Ugh, forget I said anything. What do you think we should do, smartass?”

Seeing his flushed face against the cold air finally made Linhardt soften up a little. “We’ll need to make some kind of shelter first and foremost. And then we’ll have to start a fire without magic, but it will be difficult to find dry wood and kindling in all of this snow. Oh, and we’ll need to stay active to maintain body heat.”

“That’s not a problem. I’ve still got plenty of energy!” Caspar grinned.

“It may not be for you, but it is for me. Whatever you do, don’t let me sleep, or fall asleep yourself for that matter. If we take a nap in this temperature, we won’t be waking up.”

“Seiros, Lin! You can be grim sometimes. We’re not gonna die tonight. Come on, let’s make that shelter.” Caspar said, extending his hand.

Linhardt wished he could resist taking it. Why did the idiot deserve any sign of affection from him after he’d gotten them into such a mess? Scratch that, he knew why. He was weak for Caspar’s cute, determined face and bright blue eyes and boundless positivity. The two had held hands often since the start of their journey, and it had gradually become as natural for them as it had been when they were six years old. But at some point, Linhardt started getting a warm, fluttering feeling in his stomach every time he made any kind of contact with his best friend. He knew that his feelings went beyond just friendship, and he suspected that the other man felt the same way. He wanted Caspar to be the one to confess, though. After all, it was fun to see him get so flustered over a kiss on the cheek or a ruffle through his hair. And in that moment, when Linhardt took his hand yet another time, he was filled with warmth despite the twilight chill.

Caspar had known Linhardt since they were six years old. So why was it only in the past year that his feelings for him started to change? Or maybe melt was the better word. Since they had started travelling together, his feelings for his closest friend started to melt into something more tender, more intimate. Maybe it was because the war was over, and battle didn’t fill up his mind so much anymore. Or maybe it was because he’d been sharing beds with him, seeing his long legs and flowing green hair spread out so loosely, looking so serene. Or maybe it was waking up next to him and seeing his sleeping face more happy and content than it had ever been during the war. Whatever it was, he only seemed to be falling more deeply in love with him the longer they travelled together. His feelings had confused him at first, as he was never attracted to any other men before. But seeing Linhardt so carefree and unburdened… how could a man ever get so gorgeous? Every time his best friend healed a scrape with white magic, or ruffled his hair, or kissed him on the cheek, he had thought about confessing his feelings. But for once in his life, Caspar was hesitant. What would become of them if he was rejected? The bond they had built over their lifetime would be tinged by the awkwardness of one-sided desire. He didn’t want things to change between them, so he figured that as long as he could remain at Linhardt’s side, he would be content. Still, when they were walking hand in hand like this, he couldn’t help but imagine what they could be if his affections were returned.

“Lin, you should stop using magic. You’re falling asleep.” Caspar said, gently nudging his companion. 

The two had been wandering for an hour or so on a fruitless search for materials, and the sky had gotten almost completely dark. Linhardt fizzled out the white magic in his hand that was lighting their way.

“At this point, it doesn’t make a difference if I fall asleep or not,” he yawned. “It’s far too dark to be wandering around, and there’s only so long I can stay active before the prospect of sleeping in the snow becomes almost too attractive to ignore.”

Caspar turned to his friend, tears barely forming in his eyes as he pounded his fists on Linhardt’s chest. “Don’t say stuff like that, Lin! If you really need to sleep, I’ll carry you. I won’t let you die, and I won’t die either!”

“No need for that. I care about you far too much to let you freeze to death with me. Besides, you need me if you want to stay alive, tonight and in the future.” Linhardt sighed, but he sounded like he was much more awake.

“Yeah! You’ve saved my ass too many times to abandon me now!” 

Linhardt felt his face getting hot, despite the fact that he was colder than he’d ever been in his life. Caspar was so adorable! After all the years of bloodshed they’d lived through, how did he manage to remain so pure and cute?

Caspar did end up carrying Linhardt for a little bit, after he nearly fainted from exhaustion. He could usually lift the taller man easily, but his hunger, fatigue, and the added weight of the bulky clothes and bag made the job a lot more difficult.  
“Dammit,” he muttered when he couldn’t take it anymore. 

Muscles burning, he dropped to the ground, defeated. Linhardt woke up with a start, his head on Caspar’s lap. He sparked some light magic in his hand so they could see.

“I’m sorry, Lin. I can’t carry you anymore.” Caspar said, panting. “It’s alright. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.” Linhardt said softly, his breath freezing in the air and dancing like smoke in the faint light.

“We’re more lost than ever. And you’re so cold… This is all my fault.” Caspar’s bangs fell into his face as he looked down at the other man.

Linhardt took his hand and squeezed it tightly. “No. You said we wouldn’t die tonight.” 

Caspar flushed with just the amount of warmth he needed to pick himself back up. He lifted Linhardt up with him and set him gently back down, not letting go of his hand.

“You’re right. We’re too good to die like this! Let’s keep going for a few more minutes. Stay close to me, okay?”

Linhardt nodded, and the pair pushed forward together.

After a few more minutes of stumbling around and shivering in the dark, Linhardt was drifting off, absentminded. He was in a state of half-sleep, guided aimlessly by Caspar’s hand. The cold, the pain in his legs, and the pit of hunger growling in his stomach barely registered anymore. If he was alone, he would’ve surely been frozen over by now.

“Lin, look! There’s some kind of light over there!” Caspar shouted, cutting through his sleepy haze.

Sure enough, there appeared to be a warm light glowing through the tree trunks in the distance.

“This isn’t a hallucination, is it?” Linhardt asked, pinching himself on the cheek. He didn’t feel anything because he was numb from the cold.

“Who cares! Hurry, let’s go!” Caspar bolted ahead, but stopped when he realized that his friend couldn’t keep up. Together, they trudged through the last bit of forest and found themselves standing in front of an inn on the side of a wide dirt road, windows lit up with a soft yellow glow. It appeared to be the same place that Linhardt’s map had led to.

“We made it, Linny!” Caspar exclaimed, hugging his best friend.

“I suppose we did.” Linhardt smiled faintly. “But suffocating me would defeat the purpose.”

Caspar blushed and pulled away, and the pair walked through the doors. They were immediately greeted with a welcoming warmth that made them both sink to the floor after the doors closed behind them. The lobby was cheerful and well-lit, a large fireplace crackling at one end. The counter appeared to be unattended.

“Uh, hello?” Caspar called out as he heaved himself back up. “We need a place to sleep. And food. Like, right now.”

“I’ll be right with you!” a high female voice called, and a few moments later, a woman with frizzy brown hair came into the lobby from the hall.

“Well, you two look like you’ve been through the wringer. How long have you been out in the cold?” she asked, trying to hide the shock in her expression.

“Too long. His fault.” Linhardt grunted, pushing himself off the floor and pointing at Caspar.

“Well, you boys can strip off your coats and gloves right here, I’ll bring them upstairs for you. The dining area is through the door on the left; make sure you eat up. I’ll have your room ready by the time you’re done.”

“Thank you,” said Caspar as he started to take off his coat.

Now that the cold wasn’t an immediate issue, his stomach growled for his attention.

“Come on, let’s get some food!” Caspar exclaimed after they finished dropping their coats, bags and other gear into a messy pile on the floor. Before Linhardt could respond, he was dragging him by the wrist into the dining area.

The weary travellers were greeted by the welcoming smell of hot soup and bread coming from the kitchen as soon as they walked into the room. It was empty, except for two figures sitting at a table in the corner…

“Woah, you guys look terrible!” laughed a familiar female voice.

Caspar perked up immediately, forgetting all about food.

“Thunder Catherine!” he shouted, running toward the muscular blond woman.

“Well if it isn’t Inferno Caspar!” she said, giving him a firm pat on the back. “Talk about unexpected!”

“Is it necessary for you two to talk so loudly?” asked a flat, even voice. He turned to see a slender woman with piercing eyes and short indigo hair.

“Shamir? You’re both here!” 

“Well, you’re not alone either. Linhardt, don’t hide from us!” Catherine called.

Linhardt shuffled slowly to the table, and they all settled down. There was an empty bottle of beer in front of Catherine, but she didn’t seem to be noticeably intoxicated.

“Shamir and Catherine. What a coincidence. I’m going to sleep now.” Linhardt said, burying his face into his arms on the table.

“No, Lin! You need to warm up and eat before you go to sleep! You still feel cold!” Caspar said, shaking his friend awake.

“How long have you been out in the cold?” Shamir asked.

“Can we… not talk about that? I haven’t seen you guys in years, and I’d rather not think about what happened today.” Caspar said, his voice squeaking a little.

“Fair enough.” Shamir said, flatly.

“I can pay for beers when you two are all filled up,” Catherine offered.

“Don’t bother. I can’t stand the stuff, and I don’t want Caspar getting intoxicated.” Linhardt dismissed, a little rudely.

“Heh. Still as much of a pretty boy as ever, but your manners haven’t improved one bit.” Catherine chuckled.

“I don’t think you’re the most qualified to be lecturing people about manners,” Shamir deadpanned.

“Manners are dumb! I need food now!” Caspar exclaimed, slamming his fists on the table and earning a facepalm from Linhardt.

Catherine apparently agreed with Caspar, because they were off to the kitchen within seconds. Linhardt and Shamir shrugged and gave each other sympathetic glances. Before long, everyone had hot plates of food in front of them.

“Eat up, Linny! You have to be hungry!” Caspar said as he placed a bowl in front of his friend. He then proceeded to tear into his own meal with the voracity of a wild bear.

“I see you two are still as close as ever,” Shamir said, with just a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Me an’ Lin are travelling the world together! We abandoned our houses. Screw the nobility!” Caspar blurted out with food still in his mouth.

“Think next time before you say such controversial statements so loudly, Cas.” Linhardt groaned.

“Ha! Don’t worry about it. But I have to ask. Just how exactly are you paying for this grand adventure?” Catherine questioned.

“Me and Lin took a buttload of--”

“Cas, how many times have I told you this? That word makes me want to vomit every time I hear it. Use boatload, or really anything that produces a more pleasant mental image.” Linhardt interrupted.

“Whatever. Me and Lin took an assload of money from our houses. It’s not like our dads have any use for it anymore anyway,”

Linhardt let out a long sigh. Could Caspar be any less eloquent?

“And if we want any extra cash, we just do odd jobs in town. Well, actually I do all the odd jobs while Lin sleeps or something, but--”

At this point, Linhardt was getting a little frustrated. “I don’t sleep the entire time. I plan the routes, so we won’t get lost like we did today.”

“I said that we weren’t talking about that tonight!” Caspar huffed.

“You know, Shamir and I are travelling together too,” Catherine said, changing the subject before the squabbling could continue.

“Really? Are you guys on some sorta knight mission again? You don’t have armor on-- is it a spy mission?” Caspar asked excitedly.

“We’re not Knights of Seiros anymore,” Shamir stated cooly, and Caspar’s jaw dropped.

“We’re much like you two. We abandoned our positions to forge our own path.” she explained.

“No way! Wait, does that mean you don’t fight bad guys anymore?”

“Oh, we still fight! We make a living off of smashing bandit skull!” Catherine said, a kind of fire sparking up in her eyes at the thought of battle.

“Damn straight! Tell me about your best fights! Did you ever have to pull out Thunderbrand?”

“I will never understand you people and your fascination with waving metal sticks in the air,” Linhardt interjected. “Have this conversation some other time, will you?”

There was a short silence after his interjection, but he was unfazed.

“Linhardt, you don’t strike me as the type of man who likes to move around a lot. Why did you decide to travel with Caspar?” Shamir asked, mostly to get the conversation rolling again.

“Well, the other option was going back to my father’s estate and claiming my inherited position. I would have to train for all those dull administration duties, and later be fully responsible for them. And there’d probably be a bride already waiting for me, and I’d have to have kids with her until one of them bears a Crest. What a boring, exhausting life that would be…” Linhardt yawned dramatically at the end, emphasizing his disinterest.

“Wait, does that mean you two eloped?” Catherine grinned.

“E-eloped?” Caspar’s voice cracked. “I-it’s not like that! We’ve known each other our whole lives, of course we’re close--”

Linhardt put his hand over his flustered friend’s mouth, stopping his stuttered words but deepening his blush.

“I’m aware that it was never exactly a secret that I’m attracted to men, but I simply meant that I didn’t want to enter into an arranged marriage,” he explained, trying his best to keep his voice even.

Catherine shrieked with laughter, and Shamir couldn’t help but join in.

“Oh, calm down, you dorks! I was making a joke!” Catherine said, struggling to get the words out against her mirth.

Linhardt and Caspar shifted away from each other just slightly, faces beet red. Desperate to change the subject, Linhardt resorted to his least favorite tactic: small talk.

“Well, when you’re done laughing, why don’t you two tell us why you decided to travel together,” he suggested.

“Oh, we’re married.” Shamir stated coolly, and Caspar’s eyes widened. 

“You guys are married? Congratulations!” he said, a little too loudly.

“Yeah, it happened about a year ago. We were on the road at the time, and it just felt right. After all, it’s because of Shamir that I found out I had a purpose in life outside of serving Lady Rhea,” Catherine said proudly, holding up her hand to show the golden ring on her third finger.

“Let me see your ring, Shamir!” Caspar leaned in, eyes wide.

With a slight grin, she pulled off a black glove to reveal her matching golden band. “Pretty, aren’t they? We found the rings off the corpse of a bandit.”

Linhardt didn’t bother to hide the disgusted look on his face. “You’re not… serious, are you?”

Catherine let out another boisterous laugh. “Actually, they were given to us by a merchant after we took care of some bandits blocking his usual route. We like to make that joke to see reactions like that, though.”

“Shamir? Making a joke?” Caspar’s jaw dropped.

Shamir let out a slight laugh. “I suppose Cath’s sense of humor has rubbed off on me a little,”

“Awww, stop it!” Catherine whined, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Linhardt pushed away his half-finished bowl of soup. “This has been a nice little chat, but I’ve been half frozen all day because of some idiot, and I’m dead tired.”

“Linny! You’re not even finished with your food! And we haven’t seen Catherine and Shamir in years!”

“If you want to keep talking about swords and bashing them over the heads of beasts, then by all means, go ahead. As for me, I’m going to bed.”

Shamir grinned slightly, as if she was amused by their dynamic. “Caspar, you really look like you need rest. You should go with Linhardt.”

“What!” Caspar whined, looking disappointed.

“Oh, don’t worry about us! We’re staying here for a couple of days, so we’ll have plenty of time to catch up if you decide to stay for a bit.” Catherine smiled.

“Really? Well in that case, I guess I am pretty tired.” he admitted.

“Then rest up, and sometime tomorrow we can spar together. It seems like you’ve packed on some muscle, but I want to see if you’ve been keeping up with your combat training.”

“Oh hell yes!” he exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air. “You better prepare to finally be defeated by Inferno Caspar!”

“I will never understand you people,” Linhardt yawned as he pushed his chair in.

Caspar and Linhardt took turns bathing, and then they flopped on the bed in their nightclothes, limbs sore and weak. The room was small, and the bed was tiny. Though Caspar had gotten used to sharing a bed with Linhardt over the past few years of travel, he found himself flustered about it now. Was it because of the joke that Catherine had made? Or was it because he could’ve died in the snow earlier today, with him in his arms? He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, making it fluff out in all directions. There was no way he was getting any sleep like this, no matter how burnt out he was. He flipped over to face the other man, but his back was turned towards him, and he could see his long hair flowing over the pillow. Evergreen… that’s what it looked like. Linhardt was his evergreen tree. Wherever he went, whenever he needed him, he was always there. The only constant the uncertain and adventurous life he chose, even when he made the stupidest decisions. What did he do to deserve a best friend like him? And why did he have to screw it all up by falling in love?

“Are you still awake?” Caspar asked softly, trying to break his train of thought.

“I am. I was thinking about today. It was quite… eventful.” Linhardt answered, a little absently.

“I’m sorry for getting us lost, Linny,” Caspar said, pouting a little. Linhardt flipped over to face Caspar, and to his surprise, he had a small smile on his face.

“All that matters is that we’re both safe now. After all, I can’t stay mad at you when you’re so adorable.” Linhardt laced his soft fingers through the other man’s colloused ones.

Caspar blushed. “A-Adorable? I’m not adorable! I’m a hardened adventurer!”

Linhardt frowned, unsatisfied. “Do you remember what you said earlier, about holding each other close to exchange body heat? I’m still quite chilly, so why don’t we try it now?”

Caspar was screaming internally. “W-what? Are you sick or something? It’s warm in here--”

Linhardt flipped back over. “Never mind, you’re hopeless.”

“Wait, Lin--” he felt as if something was malfunctioning in his brain. He couldn’t take this anymore. “Linhardt. Remember what Catherine said earlier? I mean, when she joked about us being a couple?”

Linhardt turned to him again, the grin back on his face. “Yes, what about it?”

“Well, I dunno, I was wondering if…” his brain was short circuiting. “Maybe… Augh! This is difficult!”

“Out with it, Cas. I’m far too tired for your incomprehensible blubbering.”

“I was thinking that maybe we could be like… an actual couple. I know that we’ve been friends forever, but lately I… I don’t know! I just think you’re really pretty-- beautiful, even, and I want to… I dunno… kiss you?”

Before he could consciously register the words that came out of his mouth, Linhardt’s lips were on his, his soft hands cupping his face.

“I knew you’d catch on eventually,” he smiled as he pulled away. 

Caspar was thrown into a daze, unable to respond.

“You really are dense, you know. I’ve known for a long time that you like me. I’ve been waiting for you to confess for almost a year.” Linhardt said as he rubbed his hand on the other’s back.

“It… it was that obvious?” Caspar stammered.

“You’ve never been good at hiding your feelings. Or picking up on the feelings of others, for that matter. I’ve been dropping hints for more than a year at this point.”

“You’ve been flirting with me? For a year? And you like me back?”

“Well, shouldn’t it be obvious at this point? You’re interesting, cute, strong, and quite handsome. Of course I like you back.”

Caspar’s face lit up. “Like, manly handsome?” 

“Handsome is technically a gender neutral term. But if you really care that much, then yes, you’re ‘manly handsome.’”

Caspar beamed, and Linhardt almost melted completely.

“I love you, Linny!” he almost shouted, pulling him tightly into his strong arms. “I want to kiss you again. Can I kiss you again?”

Linhardt slipped his hands onto Caspar’s chest, where he could feel his heart beating at a rate that would typically be unhealthy. 

“I suppose. But you better let me sleep after this.”

Caspar didn’t hesitate to close the distance between their lips again, his hands cupping the back of his head and feeling the silky evergreen hair between his fingertips. The kiss was long and wet and messy, but neither of them cared at all. They both gasped for air when they pulled away.

“Neither of us have done this before, haven’t we?” Linhardt smiled, digging into the fluffy hair on top of Caspar’s head with his palm.

“Yeah, but we’ll get plenty of training in tomorrow!” Caspar giggled, squeezing his new lover tightly.

Linhardt fell asleep in Caspar’s arms, and the icy chill outside was replaced tenfold by each other’s pleasant warmth. And as he held the beautiful man close like he’d wanted to for so long, Caspar wondered if he had ever been happier in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Catherine to Shamir after Cas and Lin leave: "There's no way they didn't elope."
> 
> Sorry it doesn't really make sense with any of the canon endings -_-  
I really hope you enjoyed it! Feedback would be much appreciated.


End file.
